Johnson a Landmark in New York

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The shot that put Vickie Johnson in the 3,000 point club

George Kalinsky/MSG Photos

New York, NY - June 20, 2005 -The Statue of Liberty. The Empire State Building. Vickie Johnson. The nine-year Liberty veteran is as synonymous with the Liberty as the landmarks are to the city the team calls home. With Saturday's game against Phoenix, Johnson's legend continues to grow in New York. With 1:49 left in the game, Johnson converted a left-handed lay-up off a fastbreak to score her 13th and 14th points of the game. More importantly, the basket put her past the 3,000 point mark for her career.

Johnson's key bucket at the end of the game put her in a very elite club in the WNBA. She became just the seventh player in the history of the WNBA to surpass the 3,000 point plateau. Johnson joins Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Katie Smith, Sheryl Swoopes, Andrea Stinson and Chamique Holdsclaw in the 3,000 club.

Those kind of points do not get scored over night. Johnson has been in the WNBA since its inception in 1997. She is the last remaining original member of the Liberty. She is also just one of eight players in the entire league to remain from its first year and one of six to have played for the same team for the duration.

Johnson is truly the marathon woman of the WNBA. Her 8,190 minutes played is the most by any player all-time in the league. The 256 games Johnson has played in her career is second only to Andrea Stinson in that category. She is atop virtually every Liberty all-time statistical category, including games and minutes played, points scored, field goals made and attempted and free throws made and attempted.

In the thick of her ninth season, Johnson continues to make a lasting impression on the WNBA and the city of New York. She is as much a mainstay as The Garden itself.